Button securing device



April 28,,1953

E. A. N YGARD BUTTON SECURING DEVICE Filed Sept. 22, 1951 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUTTONSECURING DEVICE Erik A. Nygard, Woonsocket, R. I. Application September22, 1951, Serial No. 247,787

7 Claims. (Cl. 24-110) This invention relates to a button securingdevice sometimes referred to as button back, and is particularly adaptedfor use in the securing of a button having two studs projecting rearwardly in spaced relation from the rear face thereof.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a button back whichmay be pressed into place on the button and will maintain itself in suchrelation until manually manipulated for release.

Another object of the invention is to provide a button back which willhave a resilient action and will be of one piece of material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a button back which willbe of extremely simple construction and yet strong and durable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a button back which willprotect the prongs of the button from engaging or abrading the user orthe clothing of the user.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view, showing in section a piece of fabric towhich the button and back therefore are attached.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view at right angles to the section of Figure 2,showing the studs in dotted lines and the back in a position to securethe back to the studs.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the parts as moved toa stud releasing position.

Figure 5 is a fragmental top plan view of one of the openings and one ofthe plates to show the gripping means and the free area of the openingsadjacent thereto.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the back before bent into final shape.

In proceeding with this invention, I cut from a strip of sheet stock ofthe required length, a blank which has a plate at each end in whichthere are located openings for accomplishing the results desired, whilethe stock intermediate these plates is of a flexible, resilientcharacter which may be bent into a bowed or ached shape for aligning theopenings as desired while permitting sliding of the plates for adifierent position of the openings.

With reference to the drawings the single sheet of stock which isutilized for the button back is designated generally it and comprises afirst fiat plate I I at one'end of the strip which is shown in Figures2, 3, and 4 .and is the lower plate of the two plates there provided.This plate has a pair of openings l2'l2 in certain spaced relation whichis the spacing of the studs l3-I3 extending rearwardly from the button Mshown in Figures 1 and 2. At the opposite end of this strip of stock It]there is a second flat plate !5 which is in slidable contact with theplate II and is held in this contact by the edges It of the plate Hbeing rolled over the edges of the plate 15 sufficiently loosely so asto guide the plates in a longitudinal movement. Plate I5 is providedwith a first pair of openings ll-ll which are spaced the same as theopenings l2 and which have fingers l8-l8 extending inwardly from theopposite sides of the opening so that when the studs l3-I3 are passedthrough these openings H the fingers will flex upwardly as shown inFigure 2 and will grip the surface of the studs [3. This gripping willoccur by reason of the sharp corners of the fingers I8, but in orderthat there may be a better holding, notches l9 may be placed in thestuds 13 at diametrically opposite locations. A second pair of openings20-2|J are provided in the plate 15 adjacent the openings [1 as shown inFigures 5 and 6.

The middle or shank portion 2| of the plate It is bent sharply as at 22and 23 where it extends from the plates II and I5 and is then arched ona short radius as at 24 and 25 andon a rather longer radius as at 26connecting these shorter arch portions together. The stock is so bentthat normally the openings l'l-l 1 will align with the openings l2-l2,but when pressure is applied as shown by the arrow 28 so as to arch theportion 28 greater as at 29 (see Figure 4), then the openings 2U2ll willalign with the openings I2l2 as shown in Figure 4.

By reason of this construction the button back may be pressed on to thestuds l3l3 to as sume the position shown in Figure l, and if release isdesired, pressure will be applied on the opposite sharply archedportions 24 and 25 to flatten these arches by causing the portion 26 toarch on a shorter radius so as to move the openings I! from grippingrelation with the studs l3 and cause the openings 28 to be in registrywith opening I2 so that there will be no gripping on the stud and thusthe button back may be lifted from the studs or the studs may beWithdrawn from the fabric 30 through which they may extend.

By reason of the shank portion 2! connecting both the plates, the deviceis all formed from a single piece of sheet stock and studs are protectedfrom abrasion with a person or the persons clothing upon which thebutton is mounted.

I claim:

1. A device for securing a two-post button in place, comprising a firstplate having a pair of openings spaced and of a size to receive there.-through the posts of the button to be secured, a second plate inslidable contact with the first plate and having a first pair ofopenings spaced to register with the openings in the first plate andprovided with resilient means to grip the posts and prevent movement ofthe posts in one direction therethrough and a second pair of open: ingsfree of gripping means and communicating with the first pair of openingsand permitting the posts to move from the first pair of openings Qf the5 9 3 o nin a ca ing means to urge the plates to move the first pair ofopenings in the second plate into registry with the pair of openings inthe first plate but yieldable to align the second pair of openings inthe second plate with the first pair of openings in th fi t p a fo elasin t e os s- 2. A device as in claim 1 wherein the plates areconnected by a bowed resilient strip of material.

3. A device as in claim 1 wherein the plates are connected by a bowedresilient strip of material which is the same piece of material as theplates.

4. A device, as in claim 1 wherein the edges of one plate are rolledover the edges of the other plate for slidably connecting the plates formovement one along thev other.

5. In combination a button having two posts extending therefrom, adevice for gripping said posts comprising a first plate having a pair ofspaced openings receiving therethrough the posts, a second plate inslidable contact with the first plate and having a first pair ofopenings spaced to register with the openings in the first plate andprovided with resilient means gripping the posts and preventing movementof the posts in one direction therethrough and a second pair of openingsfree of gripping means and communicating with the first pair of openingsand permitting the posts to move from the first pair of openings to thesecond pair of openings, elastically yielding means to urge the platesto cause the first pair F of openings in the second plate into registrywith the pair of openings in the first plate but yieldable to align thesecond pair of openings in the second plate with the first pair ofopenings in the first plate for releasing the posts.

6. A button as in claim 5 wherein the posts are ro w a plurality of a il y spa ed notch s intowhich said gripping means extend.

7. A button as, in claim 5 wherein the posts are provided with a,plurality of axially spaced diametrically opposite notches into whichsaid gr i p-. ping means extend.

ERIK A. NYGARD.

References Cited in the file of this patent

